


To Hold

by Rueitae



Series: Rue's Whumptober 2019 [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Gen, Held at Gunpoint, Hostage Situations, Kidnapping, Parent-Child Relationship, Threats of Violence, no harm comes to the kid just a lot of tears, threats against child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-24 19:23:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20912825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rueitae/pseuds/Rueitae
Summary: Lance expected some stress out of the day when he brings his daughter out for her birthday, but not the stress of not being able to protect her when they've both been kidnapped by space pirates.





	To Hold

**Author's Note:**

> Part of my whumptober 2019 series for the prompt 'gunpoint'. 
> 
> Pros: I found an excuse to make good use of my Plance kid  
Cons: The kid and parent get kidnapped.
> 
> I told myself I'd keep these under 1k, but in my desire for a happy ending I went way overboard. My thanks to [rosieclark](https://rosieclark.tumblr.com/) for offering some last minute beta services to ease my mind.
> 
> Special thanks to [suemaryrockocy](https://suemaryrakocy.tumblr.com/) for informing me that 'Rovek' sounds like the Polish word for 'butt hole'. I have peaked as a writer with this happy accident.
> 
> Also my thanks to [Nina](https://nina-a-holt.tumblr.com/) for her beautiful suggestion for Lance's nickname for his daughter.

“Daddy, I’m scared.”

Lance holds his daughter tighter at the sound of a blaster buzzing to life. He can’t see it, but he knows it’s still pointed at the back of his head. With one arm supporting her weight over her long shirt and leggings, he digs his other hand into Mae’s beautiful brown hair and buries her head closer to his chest, refusing to let her see their captors and their weapons.

He’s scared too.  _ Terrified _ .  


But he can’t let her see that. Even if his muscles strain from holding her, he’ll do it for as long as it’s necessary to spare her the sight for a time.  


“Everything’s fine, sweetheart,” he tells her softly with a kiss to her head. “Just keep your head down, okay?”

Lance walks on at the nudge of the blaster to his back, further and further from the safety of the resort. What was supposed to be a happy treat for her tenth birthday had turned into a trap and a nightmare. Already light years away from Earth, the large ship they approach tests all of Lance’s emotional training. He recognizes the symbol of the Emblem, the largest pirate syndicate in the universe. The very same group the Defenders fight on a weekly basis - that he and Pidge fight either with communications and strategy at the Galaxy Garrison or a firefight out in space.  


They would kill both him and his daughter if it gave them strategic advantage. The group is led by several former Galra commanders, they’re organized, intelligent, and brutal.  


And they had a former Paladin exactly where they wanted him. Alone, he’d probably have put up more of a fight, but not with Mae here. He couldn’t risk it. So Lance refuses to give them a reason to not keep them alive.

“Right this way, Paladin.”

The pirate behind Lance nabs his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. The bulky Galra leading him moves aside and the sight that greets Lance makes his knees weak.  


Both former Galra commanders in one place, standing before him. Any other day it would be a golden opportunity to strike and end the organization.  


But not now, not with their numerous subordinates training blasters at him and his daughter.  


Mae squirms in his arms, taking a peak. Normally Lance loves his that his daughter inherited Pidge’s natural curiosity. Not today. As much as he wants to focus on shielding her, he has to pay attention to their captors.  


“What do you want?” Lance addresses them, with all the authority he can muster.  


Commander Tripik, the tall, lanky one that Pidge usually battles through viruses and codes, grins none-too-nicely. “To the point, I like that,” he says as he looks over to his co-leader.

“I think you’re intelligent enough to guess that you’re here for insurance,” Commander Rovek adds, standing rigidly with her hands tucked neatly behind her back. She’s the muscle, and the founder of the Emblem. “You’ll be assuring our raid on Rigarsus goes smoothly, as well as any future endeavors.”

A fancy way to say hostage.  


“Pidge won’t let you just walk on in there,” Lance retorts. Rigarsus is where the central bank of the universe if located. Pidge designed their security systems herself.  


Taking him and Mae captive is by design.  


“I think she can be persuaded,” Tripik says as he saunters over, towering and circling him like a shark. Lance stiffens when he places his large, clawed hands on his shoulders. “With the right incentive.”

To Lance’s horror, Mae gasps and her first reaction is to try and rip Tripik’s hand away. She succeeds, taking some of Tripik’s hair with her.  


Lance drops Mae, her feet sticking to the ground, unable to keep his hold on her as Tripik yells in pain. He frantically keeps her to his side, hand firmly around her arm, as he moves out of Tripik’s immediate vicinity. Blasters stop him from going any further, but at least he’s gotten her out of any thoughtless retaliation.  


He can try and talk him out of it.  


Before Tripik can do anything, Rovek laughs at him. “The cub has some bite!” she declares. “Truly what I’d expect from the child of two former Paladins.”

Bile rises in Lance’s throat and an otherworldly growl escapes his mouth. He doesn’t like the implications. Like his daughter is some sort of prize to be recruited or… used for show.  


Like they’d done to Shiro.

He’s going to throw up.  


“You won’t touch her,” he promises with venom dripping from every syllable.

Rovek just laughs and approaches them - her eyes not on him, the Paladin, the one who could take her on in a fight - but on his daughter.  


Lance tugs Mae closer, an arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders as she leans into his jacket, clutching his shirt.  


Rovek kneels, her large form puts her at eye level with him, but she addresses his daughter. “What is your name, child?”

“None of your business,” Lance snaps, taking a step back.

In an instant he chokes, metal wrapping tightly around his neck, sending him skidding on the dusty ground. His skin burns, sleeves likely torn .

“Dad!” Mae shrieks.

Lance looks up to see he’s far more than an arm’s length away from his daughter. She’s crying in place, not that he blames her, but it hurts as a father to see her scared for him like this.  


Rovek rises to her full height and stands behind his daughter, Mae barely as tall as her knees. Lance sees red as Rovek moves to hold her shoulders.

“Don’t you dare!” he yells. Ignoring all soreness of muscle he’s halfway to them before pirate grunts subdue him, two straining each arm and a third forcing him to his knees, blaster pressed against the back of his head.  


Mae screams and Rovek kneels behind her, two massive hands engulfing her shoulders and claws pressing against her throat. She sobs, chest rising and falling fast, her bright hazel eyes locked on him.

Lance wants to cry, and might have if he wasn’t so enraged; helpless as his daughter is in the hands of the most vile criminal organization in the universe.  


“Let’s try this again, cub,” Rovek says, twirling Mae’s long, loose hair in a claw. “What is your name?”

Mae hiccups, her eyes still on him. Her mouth opens, but between the tears words can’t come. Lance’s heart beats quicker in fear, if she doesn’t answer he’s sure Rovek will hurt her.  


Distraction and misdirection is what he does best.  


“Leave her alone!” Lance demands, but his voice quickly degenerates to desperation thanks to the tightening grip on his arms. “She’s no- she’s not part of this fight! She’s just a kid!

“Do what you want with me, just leave her alone.  _ Please _ ,” he begs earnestly.  


Tripik growls and enters his field of vision, standing idly between him and Rovek. “We need to get going. You can play with the kid later.”

Rovek frowns, and after a moment of hesitation, relents, “You’re right, as usual.”

As Rovek stands, Lance’s heart leaps into his throat when she shoves Mae into the arms of the closest grunt. Mae trips into his claws, and doesn’t even react to getting slung over his shoulder, she can’t stop crying.  


Lance takes what positives he can from it, at least she isn’t paying attention to her father being held at gunpoint anymore.  


“Put them in the spare officer’s quarters,” Rovek orders as she stands. “Begin preparations for the raid once we break atmosphere.”

~~~~~

By spare officer’s quarters, Rovek  _ had _ surprisingly meant exactly that.  


Mae is dumped onto the large, circular bed and Lance is pushed onto the same dull metal floor as the rest of the ship. The door slams shut with a resounding lock that lets him know there is no escaping.

The ship has already lifted off. It’s the same Galra battlecruiser design Lance has seen and infiltrated more times than he can count. If he remembers right, the escape pods on each level are indicated by three magenta crystals. If he can get past the door and get off the ship while there’s a distraction, they  _ might _ have a chance.

He has something more important to do first though.

Slowly, Lance picks himself up and sits with a sigh on the edge of the bed. Mae sneaks in under his arms, her snot and tears already dampening his shirt.  


“I wanna go home,” she tells him.  


Lance sighs, a deep one that betrays his age and experience. “I know, Peanut. I want to go home too.” He holds her as close as he can, letting her cry into his chest as much as she wants. “You’re being so brave. I’m really proud of you, you know that right?”

He can comfort her all he likes, but he also knows he has to prepare her for when they’re separated - an inevitability as far as he’s concerned.  


“Y-yeah,” she sniffles.  


With a deep breath to prepare himself, Lance leans down and brushes her long hair out of her eyes and back behind her ear. “Mom would be so mad to see your hair all messy like this,” he jokes.  


Her teal hair band is loose, halfway off the back of her head. Lance gently takes it off and combs her gentle curls with his fingers best he can, at least to get stray hairs out of her face. Mae’s bangs are nearly grown out, but they’re still short enough she still can’t pull them into a ponytail.  


Calmed by the familiarity of their usual morning routine, Mae tucks hair behind her other ear. Lance places the head band back on like a crown, keeping most of the loose hair at bay.  


She looks so much like her mom like this, even if it’s his hair she has.  


“Mom wouldn’t care, that’s  _ you _ Dad,” she teases with the most adorable little giggle through her tear stained face. It makes his heart just a little bit lighter.  


“Guilty as charged,” he smiles, planting a kiss on the top of her head. He sucks in a deep breath and places a comforting hand behind her back. Now he must have the conversation he never wanted with anyone, let alone his own child. “You know who those people are, right?”

Mae looks away and nods. “Bad guys, the ones that don’t want peace.”

Lance nods. That’s about all he and Pidge have told her. “That’s right. They’re… very mean and they will hurt you,” his voice chokes, “just because they can. You have to do your best to not give them a reason. If they ask you to do something, you do it.”

Her face scrunches in confusion and distaste. “Even if it’s a bad thing?”

“Even if it’s a bad thing,” Lance confirms. “I promise I’ll make sure you get home safely, but you’ve got to be smart and pay attention, okay? That means no tech, okay?”

Mae isn’t convinced. The tears have dried on her face and Lance can see that spark in her eyes that shows her mind is at work, the same spark of brilliance Pidge gets and Lance usually loves to see in these situations.

But not from his young daughter. It terrifies him she’ll try something without understanding the consequences of her actions should she fail. Looking back on those early days of Voltron, Lance finds himself squeamish over just how much they hadn’t known; how reckless they’d needed to be and how they’d had to shove the fear for their lives to the back of their minds so many times.  


“Promise me, Mae,” he leans around to lock eyes with her. “Please, don’t do anything your mother would do.” This suite has all the comforts of command, including a monitor for video communications. It’s disconnected, but that means nothing to the either of his girls. If any tampering Mae does is detected, there’s no telling what they’d do to her. “I couldn’t forgive myself if anything happened to you.”

Her lip wobbles. “What about you?”

Quiznak. She just had to ask that. “I’m your dad, it’s my job to keep you safe.” He flashes a fake smile in her direction. “And I’m a Paladin of Voltron. I can handle a few pirates.”

“I just don’t want to be with that creepy Galra lady again,” she shivered.  


Lance feels the anger in his belly rise again, for both what happened and the fact that there’s very little he can do to prevent it from happening again. It reminds him that he needs to continue this conversation.  


“I’ll do everything I can,” he promises. “I might not always be in the same room, but I’ll do whatever I can to keep her away from you.”

Mae gulps. “They might take you away?”  


“Or they might take you away,” he hates to say. Her breath hitches and he takes her into a close hug. “I’m so sorry you have to go through this. I love you so much.”

The door unlocks and Lance sucks in his tears. This is far too soon. “Be safe, Mi Flor de Mayo*, don’t do anything stupid. Don’t worry about me.”

“How can you say that?” she gasps as the door opens. “I’m gonna worry about you. I’m scared, I don’t want you to go.”

“Paladin,” a deep voice interrupts, one of the pirate grunts. “The Captain requests your presence.”

Lance takes a deep breath. He doesn’t want to bring her with, knowing they’ll be discussing the details of the situation, possibly be a part of a ransom video, but he also knows that not knowing will scare her more than anything she learns in that room. She’s too much like her mother.  


“I’m coming,” he says with clarity that surprises him, before patting his daughter’s back. “Let’s go.”

The moment they both stand, the Galra pirate holds up a hand. “The girl stays here.”

Mae clings to his arm. “I want to go with you.”

His escort looks impatient, so Lance kneels down quickly. “Remember what I said? You’ll be safer here than with me. I’ll be back.”

That is one promise he is going to keep.  


He hugs her and kisses her forehead before forcing himself to separate and walk towards the guard with a glare in place. He refuses to show fear in front of the grunts, and especially not to show his daughter he’s afraid.  


He wouldn’t be nearly as terrified if she wasn’t here.

A second guard comes from around the corner with handcuffs and Lance allows his arms to be pinned behind his back without fuss. He tries not to watch his daughter’s reaction, but even with his brave face she shakes like a leaf.  


“Sit on the bed and don’t move,” the first guard orders. To Lance’s horror, he clicks a rod on his belt and it crackles with electricity. It takes him half a tick to realize it’s not him they’re threatening.  


Mae looks to him for guidance and Lance nods quickly. “Just like we talked about. It’s okay.”

To his relief, she does sit, her sneakers squeaking on the floor as she lifts herself up onto it.. Lance gets no moment to breathe in relief as he’s yanked across the threshold and out of her sight.  


Instant panic sets in when she shrieks, “Dad!” and the first guard looks back into the room with his electric rod in hand.   


“Get back on the bed!” he yells. He tries his best parental authority voice, but it dissolves into panic after the first syllable. “Leave her alone!” he growls at his guard. “Your Captain is waiting, isn’t she?”

The guard grunts noncommittally, but he locks the door behind him. Almost as soon as it closes, Lance can hear her small fists pounding against the metal, sobbing and screaming for him.  


It hurts him more than any wound he’s ever received that he can’t do anything about it.  


~~~~~~

“Mae is safe?”

Lance glares over at Rovek from between his two guards before turning back to Pidge’s face plastered on the viewing screen of the command deck. “As safe as she can be,” he says. He fidgets and rolls his shoulders, the cuffs already making him stiff. “They left her in one of the officer’s suits. Hopefully she’s just taking a nap right now.”

“So, we have your attention, then?” Tripik smirks. “I can’t wait to see the great hacker herself undo her own safety measures.”

Pidge growls, her eyes piercing Rovek as if she would burst into flames on the spot. Lance feels like a failure. If it were just him, he’d tell Pidge to refuse their request, but he won’t risk Mae’s life over money.  


“You’ll have a twelve varga window, that’s the maximum amount of time the failsafe will let me shut down the system,” Pidge explains. Her professional facade flickers ever so slightly when she locks gaze with him, before she steels it once move in addressing their captors. “Once you have what you want, leave your prisoners in the building - alive and well.”

Lance’s stomach churns at the way Rovek grins at that. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Paladin. We should do this more often.”

Pidge’s image disappears, not even allowing Lance so much as a word goodbye.  


Tripik bursts out laughing. “‘Leave them in the building’ she says! That’s too easy!”

“‘Alive and well’ indeed!” Rovek adds. The bloodthirst in her eyes terrifies Lance to his core. “And they will be when we leave them there. Can’t guarantee they will be still alive after the fire.”

Lance jumps forward, straining his entire being with the only goal in his mind to kill Rovek. “You’re monsters!” he screams. The guards attempt to drag him back, but he drops to a squat to avoid them before rushing towards the Rovek.  


He’s almost there, baring his teeth and snarling as a crushing weight finally brings him to the floor, purple hands holding him down just within his field of vision. He struggles and squirms in what small spaces he’s allowed. If he gets so much as an inch off the floor he’s punishingly pushed back down again.

Rovek bends down and takes his chin. The fur feels gross as it brushes against his skin. Barring any other retaliation, Lance bites at her.  


“You are feisty,” Rovek purrs. “I can see why you once piloted the Red Lion.” She sighs dramatically, almost regretfully, just like a movie villain. “I will do what Emperor Zarkon and Commander Sendak could not; bring about the end of the Voltron Paladins… and  _ any _ trace of them.”

“A pity too,” Tripik sighs. “Your daughter’s potential brilliance to go to waste. I always wanted to use the Green Paladin and her skills after Voltron was defeated. Surely we could keep the child a while longer?”

“And risk her ruining everything when she’s competent enough to do so? Do not think so foolishly, Tripik. That isn’t like you.”

“I know, I know,” he moaned, “it was just a nice thought.”

Lance pushes up with every ounce of energy he has. They’d never intended to spare either of them. He has to… oh quiznak he can’t believe what he’s about to say.

But if it spares his daughter, what choice does he have?  


“She’s already super smart,” he says, muffled with the side of his face squished on the floor. “And I told her to do whatever you say. She won’t be a problem for you.”

Lance can see Tripik light up like it’s his birthday, practically jumping up in excitement. “Just a few deca-phoebs?” he pleads. “Just until I figure out how her coding mind works. If I can figure out her logic, I am that much closer to cracking the Green Paladin’s codes myself.”

Rovek sighs. “Very well,” she concedes. Lance allows himself to relax for the first time since their capture. He’s secured Mae’s safety for a while, now he can just worry about saving his own life before coming to rescue her.

The ship takes a sudden jolt. Suddenly, the weight is off Lance’s back and he slams into a console. Alarms blare and the command deck turns a light red color.  


“Find out what’s going on!” Rovek orders. “Now!”

In the chaos, Lance doesn’t wait to take advantage of this gift. He’s out of the room within ticks and when no one follows him, he runs as fast as he can towards the officer’s quarters.  


Pirates pay him no mind, the situation becoming more and more dire as communicated over the ship-wide comm system. A pressure leak on level two. Escape pods randomly leave. A fire in the engine room from an overheated flux capacitor.  


There are three reasons Lance can think of that might have caused this. One of them is his daughter.  


Lance throws his shoulder into the panel lock of the door. It short circuits and opens for him.  


Mae lies on the floor underneath the inter-ship communicator at the desk. Wires of all kinds drop from it to the floor. Lance’s worst fears are confirmed.

But he’s also so incredibly proud beyond words.  


“Mae, what are you doing?” he asks as if he hasn’t seen Pidge and Hunk do this a million times.  


She pokes her head up and her eyes shine with tears, breath hitching before she exclaims, “Dad!” She rushes over and gives him the biggest hug, sobbing into his shirt. Lance drops to one knee and wishes he could just scoop her into his arms and run. “I was so scared, I didn’t know how long you’d be gone and I had to do something to keep busy and the only thing in the room was the communicator and I just started fiddling around like Uncle Hunk does and I found the ship’s main computer so I ran Mom’s code and--”

“Okay, I get,” Lance says quickly. He feels bad interrupting her, but this is not the time nor the place to catch up. This is exactly the distraction they need. “We need to go. The nearest pod is right around the corner. Tell me all about it on the way home.”

Mae reaches the pod first and Lance plops in after her, kicking the door behind them shut. He can get comfortable later, but right now, leaving is their only option.  


Oh quiznak, he can’t pilot with his hands cuffed.  


His daughter seems to realize this at the same time, her face full of dread.  


Lance doesn’t give himself a chance to worry over it. “Take the stick,” he tells her. “Press the green button now!”

A moment of relief comes when she quickly does exactly as asked, the pod pressurizes and they shoot off into space. A swell of pride fills his heart. She has her mother’s brains, but she also has a pilot’s reactionary instinct.  


Out the pod’s small window, the once grand Galra battlecruiser continues to ram into another ship in the Emblem’s fleet. Like watching a silent movie, the ships break apart in the vacuum of space.  


Only then does Lance allow himself to really relax.  


Mae is quiet, shivering.

“I’m so relieved that you're safe,” he starts, still hating her can’t hug her properly. He settles for scooting as close as he can to her in this confined space. “That’s all I care about.”

His heart is stuck in his throat for her. He and Pidge always hoped she never had to be involved in something as harrowing as this. They’d had a tough enough time dealing with their role with Voltron as teenagers, he can’t imagine how his daughter is grappling with this at her age.  


Her head falls limply onto his chest, her tiny hands gripping his shirt as if she’ll never let go. “We could have died,” she says simply, not looking up.  


“Yeah,” Lance doesn’t lie. Closer than she realizes. “We could have. But we didn’t. Even though you didn’t do what I told you to… you saved our lives, Mae.” He smiles genuinely for the first time and plants a soft kiss atop her head. “I’m so proud of you.”

Tears fill her eyes. “Did this happen with Voltron a lot?”

“Too often.”

“Did you get used to it?”

“No.”

Quiet again. “I don’t want to be a pilot when I grow up.”

“Then you don’t have to,” Lance promises, though he presses his eyes shut in emotional pain. His daughter  _ will _ have the choice he hadn’t had if he has anything to say about it, but it still hurts to see her reject following in her famous parents’ footsteps, like she’d so proudly proclaimed before. “You can do anything you want with your life. You leave the universe defending up to me and Mom, we’ve gotten pretty good at it so you kids don’t have to.”

Mae wraps her skinny arms around his waist. “I love you, Dad. Stay safe.”  _ When you go out and fight again _ , remains unsaid but understood.  


Lance relaxes his head against the side of the pod, closing his eyes. “I love you too, kiddo. Thanks for being you.” A sigh. “What do you say we call Mom and tell her to come pick us up?”

She perks up and smiles before reaching for the communications panel. “The Galaxy Garrison number?”

His mouth twitches upward. “Yeah, I doubt she’s home right now.” He returns her smile. “I bet she’d like to finally be able to wish you a happy birthday.”

**Author's Note:**

> *My May Flower
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](https://rueitae.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
